Drew, Mississippi

There's something very interesting going on here. Although the album's credited to Boo Boo Davis, he's only part of the equation, since it's others who bring definite hip-hop tinges to the music and give it a contemporary edge. Although there's a sense of adventure to much of it, and the loops and scratching form part of the canvas, it's still quite definitely rooted in the Mississippi blues that Davis has been recording for several years (the album's named for his hometown). He's a strong singer, a natural bluesman who can make the harp wail, while still capable of a true gutbucket sound on "Who Stole the Booty," for instance, or the delicacy of the title track. There's a fine balance in the work, and some unusual touches, like fiddle on the autobiographical "Standing in the Cotton Field"; rather than try to be one thing or another, this is an excellent blues record that's framed in modern terms without ever losing its sense of the past. Full marks to Davis for putting his music on the line this way and coming out a winner.